The records of the University of Michigan Dental Research Institute document the administration, development, funding, and research activities of the Institute from its inception in 1965, through the termination of National Institute of Dental Research funding in 1989. The Institute records are organized into five records series: Grant Applications, Committee Records, Topical Files, Associate Member Program, and Printed Materials.
The Dental Research Institute at the University of Michigan was approved by the Board of Regents on October 21, 1966. The Institute was established through the collaboration of the School of Dentistry, the Medical School, the School of Public Health, and the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The National Institute of Dental Research affiliate of the NIH provided funding through a series of grants. One of five such institutes in the country, the Dental Research Institute at the University of Michigan was devoted to research, education, and the dissemination of research findings through teaching, publication, and clinical practice. By collaborating with university scientists in allied fields, the Institute utilized an interdisciplinary approach to address important areas of dental health care, and expand the knowledge of oral biology and pathology while also training future dental health care providers.
The multi-disciplinary thrust of the program was directed toward three major research areas: Periodontal Diseases and Caries, Viral Diseases of the Oral Cavity, and Growth and Function of Masticatory Apparatus. Basic science research was conducted in several laboratory components, including: bacteriology, biochemistry, bioengineering, biometrics, cell biology, experimental pathology, genetics, immunology, histology, molecular biology, neurophysiology, pharmacology, and virology.
The Institute was initiated on June 1, 1967, with the arrival of Dominic Dziewiatkowski as director. He began the process of recruiting research scientists for the Institute. Recruitment was hampered by the lack of adequate research facilities, a situation that was not remedied until 1970 when the research tower at the Dental Building was completed. He also established the Policy, Executive, and Scientific Advisory committees to aid the review of research priorities and administration of the Institute.
Dziewiatkowski resigned and was succeeded by Harold Loe in 1972. By that time Institute staff consisted of 40 researchers and an equal number of supporting staff members. During Loe's tenure the symposium program begun by his predecessor to disseminate research results was expanded, resulting in several conferences and publications.
In 1976, Dr. James Avery was appointed director of the Institute. Avery had previously served as acting director in 1972 and in 1975. Among his key contributions was the development of the Associate Member Program, a multi-disciplinary scientific outreach program that involved scientists outside of the Dental Research Institute in research relating the Institute's objectives.
On February 28, 1989, after 22 years, National Institute of Dental Research funding ended. A no-cost time extension carried support through February 28, 1990. Although the major source of funding ended, many of the collaboratory efforts and key research projects managed to continue through alternative funding.
Directors of the Dental research Institute
| Date |
Event |
| 1967-1972 | Dr. Dominic Dziewiatkowski |
| 1972-1975 | Dr. Harold Loe |
| 1976-1989 | Dr. James K. Avery |
